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A major accident near the Eisenhower expressway. A car jumped the median and hit a CTA train. Witnesses say the car started swerving in the far left lane. The vehicle thenshot across all lanes of traffic and jumped the median on to the tracks. The driver left the car before the train struck it. (Published Thursday, Jun 11, 2009)

Updated at 2:26 PM CDT on Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009

Service on the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line resumed this morning after a freak accident overnight brought the trains to a halt.

A car on the inbound on the Eisenhower Expressway jumped a retaining wall and landed on the CTA tracks, where it was hit by a train.

Car on CTA Tracks

A major accident near the Eisenhower expressway. A car jumped the median and hit a CTA train. Witnesses say the car started swerving in the far left lane. The vehicle thenshot across all lanes of traffic and jumped the median on to the tracks. The driver left the car before the train struck it. (Published Thursday, Jun 11, 2009)

The driver was uninjured, as he was able to escape the vehicle before a train barrelled into it. However, two people in another vehicle involved in the expressway accident were taken to a hospital for treatment.

According to CTA spokeswoman Kimberly Myles, seven of the train's 30 passengers complained of minor injuries and were taken
to area hospitals.

Crews responded at about 4:05 a.m. to a multi-vehicle crash on I-290 near Central Avenue, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Joe Stangl said.

The driver of one vehicle lost control, left the road, jumped the embankment and landed on the CTA Blue Line tracks. As a result of that accident, another vehicle swerved to avoid the initial crash and struck the wall, Stangl said.

Fire Media Affairs spokesman Joe Roccasalva said the train derailed because of the crash, but crews have since righted it.

The front end of the car, a white sedan, was pinned under the front end of the four-car train.

The driver remained on the scene and was being questioned Thursday morning, Stangl said.

“Minor” injuries were reported from the car that struck the wall, Stangl said.

Roccasalva said all the injured were taken in good to fair condition to Loretto Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. Twenty-four people refused treatment.

Myles said no major injuries were reported.

Service along the Blue Line on Chicago's West Side was shut down for more than three hours before service was restored.